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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Pro Se Productions, Publisher of New Pulp books, anthologies, and magazines, announces today that the October issue of its magazine, PRO SE PRESENTS, will be a special issue featuring the novella, THE HUNTER ISLAND ADVENTURE by well known New Pulp author Wayne Reinagel.

Never before in print, THE HUNTER ISLAND ADVENTURE features characters from Reinagel's INFINITE HORIZONS Universe and his PULP HEROES trilogy. "Infinite Horizons," according to Reinagel, "explores the secret lives and revealing the unrecorded adventures of the greatest heroes and villains to ever walk the Earth.

"In the worlds of Infinite Horizons, the question is explored, what if the Victorian and Pulp era adventures actually occurred in our universe. And taking into account all of the events that have happened since that time, how would this have altered the pulp heroes from the 30’s and 40’s? The answers to these questions are presented in the first trilogy of Infinite Horizons novels entitled Pulp Heroes.

"Pulp Heroesis an epic adventure, spanning two centuries in time and linking the incredible lives of history’s most popular Victorian Age adventurers of the 1800’s with the greatest action heroes of the Pulp Era and an assortment of well-known, real-life figures."

THE HUNTER ISLAND ADVENTURE is a story about Pam Titan, Doc Titan's cousin and an adventurer in her own right, and three associates who end up on a wild adventure all their own. Although available in ebook form, this will be the first time that the story has appeared in print.

"We are more than honored," Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions says, "to be the home for Wayne's novella. Known for his epic storytelling and adventures that span decades, even centuries, full of his own creations as well as reinterpretations of real historical figures and literary characters, Wayne also proves he's extremely capable in telling gripping tales in a short form. And you an find out how capable in PRO SE PRESENTS #3 in October."

More information will follow as the release date nears for PRO SE PRESENTS #3 in October!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Pro Se would like to thank Michael May and all the fantastic people over at www.newpulpfiction.com for the fantastic coverage today in NPF's PULPTACULAR! column! In this column, May, a newbie to New Pulp, is exploring the vast ever expanding landscape that is New Pulp and in his second foray into this grand adventure, he has chosen to shine a bright light on Pro Se! Check it out below, but for a whole variety of columns, news, and such fun stuff, make sure you check www.newpulpfiction.com every single Pulpy day!

PULPTACULAR | Pro Se

Last week we kicked off our tour of the New Pulp world with a look at Airship 27, the publishing company run by Ron Fortier, one of New Pulp’s most prominent voices. This week, we’re exploring Pro Se Productions, the company run by Tommy Hancock, the person who most personifies the New Pulp movement for me.

Tommy’s not only heavily involved with the site you’re visiting right now, he’s also one of the leading voices in the All Pulp news blog, lead host on the Pulped podcast, and Marketing and Promotions Coordinator for Moonstone, another pulp publisher we’ll be getting to down the road. First though I wanted to find out more about Pro Se, the company where Tommy serves as Editor-in-Chief of the pulp line.

Michael: Tommy, what led you to start your business? What was missing that you wanted to provide?

Tommy: Actually, Pro Se was already a business when I was brought into it. Its founder and my partner, Fuller Bumpers, has a background in TV and film, both as an actor and writer, and when he moved back to his wife’s hometown in Arkansas, he wanted to do something to keep that creative side going, as well as create a business involving the things he liked. Turns out that his wife’s hometown is also my hometown, Batesville, a place I work in quite a bit. Fuller and I cross paths frequently in our day jobs and as we got to know each other, he told me about his company and things he wanted to do and brought me in that way.

When I joined Pro Se, we were looking for our niche; the medium by which we could make a name for ourselves, be as creative as possible, and hopefully expand into what we do on an everyday basis. We produced some audio shows, talked about short films and plays, but really the push from the get-go always had to do with writing. We’re both writers and find our greatest passion there. With that in mind, I brought up the New Pulp field as a direction to go, one I was already involved with as a writer. We recruited writers and artists, went to work, and here we are at the end of our first publishing year.

I’m not sure that anything was exactly missing; we didn’t come into New Pulp to necessarily fill a gap. It was more about being one of the building blocks of something, a form of literature – a movement really – that appealed to us more than anything. We wanted to be a proving ground for new creators and we have definitely been that. We wanted to do stories that pushed Pulp boundaries without breaking them and we’ve succeeded in that way. We’ve become a place where known New Pulp authors feel comfortable imparting a tale or two and that’s really cool as well.

Michael: What differentiates Pro Se from other New Pulp publishers?

Tommy: Probably the thing that stands out is that we’ve focused almost exclusively on original characters. There’s been a Public Domain-type or three pop up here and there (and there’ll likely be more), but Pro Se’s push has been for stories and books focused on newly created characters that fall into a genre and character-type that fit squarely with standards set by the writers of the classic pulps and are carried forward today by the creators of New Pulp.

We’re also, as I said before, known for introducing a lot of great authors and artists to the New Pulp field that really haven’t broken in any other way: Nancy Hansen, Ken Janssens, Lee Houston Jr, Pete Cooper, David Russell, and the list goes on and on. It’s really been amazing to me since Pro Se has jumped feet first into New Pulp how many of our creators and supporters, both people who got their start with us as well as some fairly well-established New Pulp creators, have commented that Pro Se is like a creative family for them. We are definitely a business as well, but I think it says something when the people who work for a company consider it more than that.

Michael: Where’d the name Pro Se come from?

Tommy: This goes back to Fuller, my partner. He is, by day, an attorney and the term pro se is a legal one. It refers to when someone chooses to defend themselves in a legal action, so basically it means “do it yourself.” Not really a wise choice in any court of law honestly, but the meaning and the ring of it works well for a publishing company.

Michael: The first thing I noticed when I saw it was that when you put the two words together they make “prose.” Was that an intentional word play as well?

Tommy: It wasn’t intentional because originally the company was going to be doing audio and film production. When we made the switch to publishing, our name became sort of a happy accident.

Michael: Which one Pro Se title do you recommend for someone who’s never read one of your books? Where’s the perfect place to start to get an accurate feel for what Pro Se represents?

Tommy: This is a bit difficult to answer because Pro Se produces books and magazines. We have twelve titles available currently, that’s an average of one a month in our first publishing year, and will continue to do that, one of our slogans being “Putting the Monthly Back Into Pulp!” Another thing that makes this difficult is that Pro Se isn’t just about the writer and the artist, but we have an awesome designer in the person of Sean Ali who has turned out some truly awesome work in terms of format and design.

From the magazine perspective, a good representation of just how varied Pro Se is can be found in Pro Se Presents #1, our relaunch of our magazine line this past August. And as far as a good example of what Pro Se does book-wise, any of our first three books (Yesteryear, The Rook Volume Six, and Fortune’s Pawn) would be good starting points.

But there’s one that will likely be available by the time this posts that is truly a seminal work for Pro Se on all levels and sets the standard for what is to come. The Adventures of Lazarus Gray, written by Barry Reese, is a short-story collection spotlighting a character Barry created for Pro Se’sSovereign City Project, a shared universe concept. Everything about this book is spot on: the stories, the characters, the style, the art, the format and design. This is a New Pulp tale done completely right.

Michael: Let’s say someone has enjoyed every Pro Se title available and is still craving more like it. What classic pulp would you suggest he or she read that would be comparable to yours?

Tommy: Pro Se covers such a wide variety of genres and such with its work, especially in our magazines. We have fantasy covered, so Robert E. Howard comes to mind. Definitely, we have masked vigilantes and hero types, so that brings in classic hero pulps. We’ve stepped squarely off into the horror and science fiction realms as well in the past. To be honest, Pro Se has such a fair representation of comparable genres that the pulp gamut is pretty well covered. I’d say just pick a classic pulp you like and there's likely comparable content at Pro Se.

***

If you Google Pro Se Productions, you’ll find a website that’s different from the one I linked to at the top of this article. As Tommy mentioned, the company does a lot more than publishing pulp stories, so for those interested in Pro Se’s New Pulp stuff, he recommends checking out the blog. That’s what I did and found all the books and magazines Tommy talked about.

As I’m building a reading list for myself though, one title particularly jumped out and that’s the last one Tommy brought up, The Adventures of Lazarus Gray. It has a little to do with Gray’s being an homage to the Avenger, one of the few, classic pulp heroes I know anything about. Mostly though, I love the idea of Pro Se’s creating a shared universe for itself. I’m a fan of Marvel and DC comics, but that’s not where my excitement for this concept comes from. For one thing, I think it’d be extremely hard – if not impossible – to replicate something as extensive as Marvel and DC’s universes in a series of novels and/or short stories. But there is a closer precedent for this kind of thing in the Thieves’ Worldbooks edited by Robert Lynn Asprin.

Thieves’ World was a series of fantasy anthologies all set in the shared city of Sanctuary. Science fiction and fantasy writers as noted as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Andrew Ouffet, Lynn Abbey, and Poul Anderson contributed short stories and shared characters. It was a lot of fun and I’ve always wanted to read something else like it. The Adventures of Lazarus Gray sounds like it could be the beginning of something like that and I want to be there to witness it as it gets going. Undoubtedly I’ll add other Pro Se books to my list, but that’ll be the first.

Thanks so much to Tommy for indulging my questions. Next week, we’ll start hitting the rest of the New Pulp publishers alphabetically with the gorgeous books of Age of Aces.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Pro Se Productions, a New Pulp Publisher debuted its first title in August, 2010. Entering its second year of Publishing after publishing an average of one book a month in its first, Pro Se shows no signs of slowing down with two new titles and the premiere of its first in house imprint all this month!

New Pulp Author Barry Reese, creator of the well known 'ROOK' series, works his storytelling magic once more with a whole new cast of characters! THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY is Reese's entry into Pro Se's The Sovereign City Project, showcasing a hero whose own life is a mystery to himself. On the road to discovering his own secrets Gray and his Assistance Unlimited team encounter weirdness, madness, and defend society from the evil that flows in the streets of Sovereign City and beyond! Come along for the ride for this new Barry Reese adventure, seven stories of mystery, action, and adventure that make up the first collection in The Sovereign City Project! Thrill to THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY!

"There's a lot," Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, "that goes into any concept, especially a shared universe such as the Sovereign City Project is going to be. Barry being a part of this and actually laying the cornerstone of the whole world with THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY is not only a tremendous start, but its also the birth of another New Pulp Classic from Barry. The characters, good and bad, jump off the page and the action moves at a breakneck speed, but there's also this eerie disturbing undercurrent that puts a different spin on classic Pulp tropes. This is one of Barry's best works to date." Reese's work is amplified by the fantastic cover art provided by Anthony Castrillo and the stylistic interior images by George Sellas.

One of the most prolific writers in New Pulp, Reese has dozens and dozens of characters, adventures, and worlds that he has written or intends to write about, a wealth of ideas with plenty of room for more, both more stories and more people to write them. "There are at least five books," Hancock stated, "in the Pro Se Publishing pipeline that are either written by Barry or based on the cyclone of ideas whirling about in his head. Barry's also ready to see what others can do with some of his visions. That combined with the general growth of Pro Se and the fact we intend to be an even bigger force in New Pulp in our second year made this next announcement an easy decision. Pro Se is privileged to reveal its first in house imprint, Reese Unlimited!"

Reese Unlimited, an imprint centered around both the written work of as well as concepts created by Reese that may be written by others, debuts with THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY. Already known for tales of action, adventure, fantastic characterization, and compelling storylines, Barry will bring his imagination and editing skills to bear as well with Reese Unlimited, acting as Imprint Editor and essentially being the creative force behind the entire endeavor. This imprint will be the home of future Lazarus Gray adventures, as well as the upcoming Rook Trilogy written by Tommy Hancock and any other ideas from the fertile mind of Barry Reese.

Pro Se continues its one-two punch launching its second year in print with the debut novel from author Chuck Miller. CREEPING DAWN: THE RISE OF THE BLACK CENTIPEDE centers on the aforementioned Centipede, Miller's pivotal character in a mad, wild world of magic, mystery, murder, and almost more mayhem than it has historical guest stars. His dark origins tied to Lizzie Borden, The Black Centipede is a mysterious individual who has no life other than that of masked avenger, vigilante, and consort of weirdness.

"This," Hancock reported, "is not just a novel. Chuck has breathed every bit of himself into the creation of not simply this book or this character, but the insane universe that the Centipede -populates isn't a strong enough world. He is the axis that the lunacy of everyone around him turns on and in response he's a valiant hero at some turns, a madman at others, and even the deus ex machina at times. CREEPING DAWN is an introductory ticket to one of the wildest rides New Pulp has ever seen!

CREEPING DAWN is a fast paced New Pulp mash up of noir, masked vigilantes, historical fiction, and more mystery and suspense than a centipede has legs. With evocative cover art by David L. Russell and interiors by Peter Cooper, CREEPING DAWN: RISE OF THE BLACK CENTIPEDE by Chuck Miller is one experience not to be missed!

Both books display the fantastic Format and Design work of Pro Se's Design master, Sean Ali.

Pro Se is thankful for the success thus far of its books and magazines and to all the supporters and fans that caused said success. "That," Hancock said, "is why Pro Se wants to make sure our second year kicks off in a way that our readers will enjoy, giving them a double dose of the New Pulp quality they expect from Pro Se. And that's not the only way we're saying thanks. Things to come this year from Pro Se will blow you all away and its all our way of saying Thank You to those who support New Pulp and Pro Se."

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Pro Se Productions, a company specializing in New Pulp magazines and books, is proud to announce that the debut novel from Pro Se Author Nancy Hansen is the closing salvo to Pro Se's first full year of active publishing. And this first book, entitled 'Fortune's Pawn', in a trilogy is also currently Pro Se's best selling title to date!

"We started out," Tommy Hancock, Pro Se's Editor in Chief said, "specializing solely in magazines and at that time our mantra was 'Putting the Monthly Back Into Pulp!' When we moved away from magazines for a bit and went into anthologies and novels, the slogan didn't change and neither did the commitment behind it. The magazines are back now and still Pro Se is all about making sure that there's a new Pro Se title on an average of once a month! And we are extremely pleased that the work that closed our first year of Publishing was Nancy Hansen's first novel."

"The basic premise is classic and familiar," states Barry Reese of ALL PULP in a review of the book. "A prophecy warns that a red-haired child will rise up to overthrow the bad guys so the villains are out killing everyone with red hair. One infant survives such an attack and grows up to become our protagonist. Callie is an enjoyable character and her motivations and emotions are well depicted."

'Fortune's Pawn' is the first of a trilogy, but it comes from the mind of Nancy Hansen, a writer who made her debut in the Pro Se magazine line. Almost instantly, Nancy gained the title of being one of the most prolific writers in New Pulp, turning out more than twenty stories and juggling no less than three or four universes, most largely fantasy of some sort, almost instantly. "Nancy's a godsend," Hancock stated. "There such a richness and vitality to her take on fantasy, plus she writes as frequently as most people eat it seems, so it's a win-win for her fans and for Pro Se."

The inaugural publishing year of Pro Se not only ended on a high note with 'Fortune's Pawn', but was filled with several notable works. 8 issues of the initial magazine lines kicked off the company and now, although down to one magazine, 'Pro Se Presents' has recently brought Pro Se back to the magazine business. That combined with the debut novel from New Pulp author Tommy Hancock (YesterYear) and the continuation of the New Pulp Classic series created and penned by Barry Reese, "The Rook: Volume Six." Pro Se also created and coordinated PULP ARK, the first New Pulp Convention, this past May.

"We are beyond amazed," Hancock said, "at how quickly and how successful this year has been for Pro Se. And there's no sign it's slowing down with all the things in the works that I can't even talk about right now. I will say this, though. The mantra, the slogan, it's not changed one bit."

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Pro Se Press is proud to present for your viewing and reading pleasure and FOR FREE a comic adventure from the mind of Tommy Hancock and the pencil of Stephen Holcomb!

Originally created and drawn ten years ago, the debut pages of what was to be a full issue comic resurfaced recently and fit so well into the New Pulp mold and matched Pro Se's intent to provide quality New Pulp entertainment that creator and writer Tommy Hancock thought it a good idea to share this concept with the world and see if there was interest in seeing more in some format.

Those familiar with Hancock's writing will see recurring themes and even hints of characters he is known for in these few pages. The story, an introductory piece setting up what was to come, works well with the art provided by Stephen Holcomb.

There are ten pages, a page will be posted every day until the story is complete. So, come on and take a look at what people wanting to be creators do in the early days of their career. And enjoy the peek into the lives of amazing men, over the top stories, and more action than any calendar can handle! Read on and enjoy the first page of TOM MORROW AND HIS THREE DAYS!!